# When did movies stop being quotable? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 8, 2017, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-movies-stop-being-quotable/776594 "2017-01-08T00:20:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2017, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-movies-stop-being-quotable/776594/21 "2017-01-08T03:00:08Z")
When talentless hacks like Scorsese starting making them ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2017, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-movies-stop-being-quotable/776594/22 "2017-01-08T04:13:43Z")
Part of it is age, part of it is far more viable entertainment options, and part of it is TV seemingly becoming more culturally relevant than movies. For the last point, “Winter is Coming” was already mentioned, but you also have “I am the one who knocks” and “That doesn’t look like anything to me”. Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2017, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-movies-stop-being-quotable/776594/23 "2017-01-08T06:08:37Z")
With respect to those who are offering suggestions from recent movies, with the exception of the reference to the tag line of the hit song from _Frozen_, I don’t hear any of those being quoted, and I work(ed) in a high school, so it’s not just an age thing. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2017, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-movies-stop-being-quotable/776594/24 "2017-01-08T06:24:13Z")
[“You smell like a baby prostitute.”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6VJLcyz1Q4) Mean Girls is filled with quotable one liners…OTOH, it’s also over a decade old, but it’s still a great movie. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2017, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-movies-stop-being-quotable/776594/25 "2017-01-08T06:32:36Z")
> [@DSYoungEsq](#): > > With respect to those who are offering suggestions from recent movies, with the exception of the reference to the tag line of the hit song from _Frozen_, I don’t hear any of those being quoted, and I work(ed) in a high school, so it’s not just an age thing. 😉 It’s probably just what others are saying. Back in the day, you’d go see a new movie over the weekend and if enough other people did, people would quote it. These days, that just doesn’t happen. Sure, people will go and see a new movie over the weekend, but they also might watch two other movies on the same weekend and stream 2 or 3 seasons of a new show their into over the course of a week. That’s on top of whatever they’re currently watching. It creates a bit of an information overload. At least that’s my WAG. It would be like comparing the discussions of a show that’s on prime time TV on a regular schedule to one that’s dumped out on Netflix all at once along with 10 other shows at the same time. IOW, maybe there’s just as many quotable movies, it’s just that there’s not as many people watching them or not enough people watching them at the same time for the quoting to go viral, so to speak. If a new movie comes out, people can sit at home safely know that between DVDs, Netflix, Amazon, Youtube, HBO etc, they’ll be able to see it ‘for free’ within a year. That wasn’t the case 20 years ago when it was see it now or wait 1-2 years and hope there was a copy available at Blockbusters in the first 2 or 3 weekends. ---
**Author:** ![marshmallow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@marshmallow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marshmallow)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2017, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-movies-stop-being-quotable/776594/26 "2017-01-08T06:49:16Z")
I’ve heard variants of “I’m gonna science the shit out of this” IRL. I welcome the cultural diffusion, since it can be annoying. I remember when the Austin Powers movies were coming out and it seemed like every 12-25 year old male would hold entire conversations using quotes from them. GET IN MAH BELLY! How about no? ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2017, 8:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-movies-stop-being-quotable/776594/27 "2017-01-08T08:34:04Z")
> [@Jim\_s\_Son](#): > > When talentless hacks like Scorsese starting making them OK, first of all if you think Martin Scorsese is a talentless hack, that’s a good sign that no one should take your opinion about anything seriously, but never mind. Objectively, this post is absurd, because Scorsese’s career started in 1972, and the very films quoted in the OP were filmed after that. Long after, in the case of\* Jerry Maguire\*. ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2017, 9:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-movies-stop-being-quotable/776594/28 "2017-01-08T09:08:36Z")
I drink your milkshake. ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2017, 9:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-movies-stop-being-quotable/776594/29 "2017-01-08T09:23:39Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > [“You smell like a baby prostitute.”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6VJLcyz1Q4) > Mean Girls is filled with quotable one liners…OTOH, it’s also over a decade old, but it’s still a great movie. Joey P, stop trying to make Mean Girls happen, it’s not going to happen. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2017, 9:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-movies-stop-being-quotable/776594/30 "2017-01-08T09:50:32Z")
Game over, man! Game over! ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2017, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-movies-stop-being-quotable/776594/31 "2017-01-08T12:31:20Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > EATA: “I live. I die. I LIVE AGAIN!” Also, “Oh what a lovely day!” Yep, I’ve quoted “What a day. Oh, what a lovely day” when I get to work and there’s a lot of things to fix several times since the summer. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2017, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-movies-stop-being-quotable/776594/32 "2017-01-08T13:37:40Z")
> [@](#): > > You’re out of order! You’re out of order! The whole trial is out of order! They’re out of order! That man, that sick, crazy, depraved man, raped and beat that woman there, and he’d like to do it again! He _told_ me so! It’s just a show! It’s a show! It’s “Let’s Make A Deal”! “Let’s Make A Deal”! Hey Frank, you wanna “Make A Deal”? I got an insane judge who likes to beat the shit out of women! Whaddya wanna gimme Frank, 3 weeks probation? … ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2017, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-movies-stop-being-quotable/776594/33 "2017-01-08T14:20:07Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Many, many of the Joker’s lines in that movie are quoteable and quoted often by people. “You…you have nothing you can hurt me with!” Boy, that’s true. “VERY poor choice of words.” “If you’re good at something, never do it for free.” “I believe whatever doesn’t kill you simply makes you… stranger.” “See, I’m not a monster…I’m just ahead of the curve.” “Never start with the head, the victim gets all fuzzy.” “Do I really look like a guy with a plan? You know what I am? I’m a dog chasing cars. I wouldn’t know what to do with one if I caught it!” I have had occasion to use all of these at one time or another. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2017, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-movies-stop-being-quotable/776594/34 "2017-01-08T14:22:35Z")
> [@Shalmanese](#): > > Joey P, stop trying to make Mean Girls happen, it’s not going to happen. I came in for **Mean Girls** - we use lines in our family all the time. You go, Glen Cocco. Fetch will never happen, etc. ---
**Author:** ![igor\_frankensteen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/839c29/32.png) [@igor\_frankensteen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/igor_frankensteen)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2017, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-movies-stop-being-quotable/776594/35 "2017-01-08T14:33:35Z")
I don’t think you’re looking at the whole “people quoting things” behavior accurately. You focused JUST on film quotes, rather than recognizing that people quote pretty much anything that catches their fancy. I’ve heard a LOT more people “quoting” commercial quips, than anything else. Remember “whassssaaaaaaaaaaaap!”?? ``` If you want to ponder this a little more, I suggest you draw a distinction between the various reasons WHY people quote things. ``` I’m especially thinking about the Jerry Maguire stuff. I don’t know about everyone else, but I NEVER heard anyone quote that movie SERIOUSLY. They were always laughing derisively when they did the “you…complete me” line, or they enjoyed shouting “show me the money” for comedic affect. ``` Then there are things that people quote and repeat because they actually value the thought expressed. Those are more rare, coming from entertainments. ``` ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2017, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-movies-stop-being-quotable/776594/36 "2017-01-08T14:35:08Z")
On occasion, we quote ‘300’ "For tonight, we dine in hell!’ which is surprisingly useful for many occasions. (There’s another quote about ‘doing what we were born to do, trained to do’ - but seems very depressing when we are off to the cube farm or the retail job). ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2017, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-movies-stop-being-quotable/776594/37 "2017-01-08T15:04:13Z")
**Joey P** ’s comments on distribution options are apt. People watched, you know, TV. After seeing _The Big Lebowski_ in syndication a few times, things sort of sink in. And not just for you but a lot of people. Now, you watch a bunch of different stuff from all over the place at all sorts of times after release. I’m generally not even aware that a good movie is playing again on cable let alone watch it. (TCM excepted. But those are not recent movies anyway.) Phone’s ringing, Dude. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2017, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-movies-stop-being-quotable/776594/38 "2017-01-08T15:27:06Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > **Joey P** ’s comments on distribution options are apt. > > People watched, you know, TV. After seeing _The Big Lebowski_ in syndication a few times, things sort of sink in. And not just for you but a lot of people. > > Now, you watch a bunch of different stuff from all over the place at all sorts of times after release. I’m generally not even aware that a good movie is playing again on cable let alone watch it. (TCM excepted. But those are not recent movies anyway.) > > Phone’s ringing, Dude. One way to bypass that is to put the memorable quote in movie trailers in particular and in commercials in general. No, not everyone sees the movie, and not everyone sees it more than once; but you see the _ad_ multiple times, is the thing. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2017, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-movies-stop-being-quotable/776594/39 "2017-01-08T16:13:52Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > I quote a movie from 1984 relentlessly, but no one ever knows it because the movie is an obscure cult favorite. If I were to go by that one metric, I’d be able to claim that I am the only one who quotes movies. Don’t be pretentious. _Quarry Throw_ may be one of Sylvester Stallone’s lesser-known vehicles (and one of his few co-starring his brother Frank) but it’s hardly obscure. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2017, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-movies-stop-being-quotable/776594/40 "2017-01-08T16:22:25Z")
I see a couple possible factors at play: 1. A backlash against wit and intelligence (possibly fueled by marketing trying to grab more money from the [Grok](http://www.megomuseum.com/ombc/images/grog.jpg) and [Scratch](https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CXOQ0wFSPY0/Vc11fr5RDlI/AAAAAAACGTA/fSFCcOFXXdM/s400/Col.%2BBleep%2B-%2BFire%2BWater%2B%252842%2529.jpg) demographic). "Well, gentlemen… Idiocracy didn’t go our way. Have Marketing play up Idiots as the Heroes… and the cash cows we want to pander too. Smart people are too hard to fool anymore and its more cost-effective in a “Dollars-Per-Dumbass-With-An-Xbox-Controller” way. _“Hey, him make fun us?” “What?” “Him…make fun of us?” “Pass chips” “Here.” “Maybe… you playing or what?”_ 1. Cost saving measures to limit writing expenses while keeping high-level executives in their “Dumb-and-Coke”. Having the credits speed-scrolled past or minimized to invisibility wasn’t the only horrible repercussion of the writers strike back in the day. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-movies-stop-being-quotable/776594.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-movies-stop-being-quotable/776594.md?page=3)